by Isabo Kelly
He swung back toward her where she crouched, dagger in hand. His eyes blazed.
“Jacob!” she shouted, but it was all she had time to say as she watched the curved blade of a goblin saber descend toward his head.
The clash of steel on steel made her stomach lurch as she watched Jacob’s sword take the blow directed at his skull. She exhaled and dropped one knee to the floor to balance her shaking limbs. But her gaze stayed latched to Jacob. He swiveled to face his attacker. The goblin was shorter than him by half a foot but superior in width. Her expression was alien and unreadable even as she slashed with deadly accuracy at Jacob’s exposed side.
He countered the blow, swiveled and attacked, so fast she stopped breathing for an instant. Flickering specks of light from the room’s candles reflected off the steel of both weapons. Jacob took advantage of the goblin’s superior strength, slipping in and out of the warrior’s lunges, carefully avoiding her direct blows, always moving. But she didn’t tire easily. When her saber slipped just under Jacob’s lunge, Vic started to yell. Her shout died in her throat as she watched him avoid the blow while pulling his sword around in an impossible arch across the back of the warrior’s thick neck.
The goblin’s head rolled across the floor as her thick body collapsed.
Vic, fingers clutched painfully around her dagger hilt, watched the head roll to a stop. Then she looked back at Jacob. He stood breathing heavily, head bowed, sword lowered so the tip just touched the ground. Blood had sprayed a dotted pattern across his white shirt. Her gaze focused on those spots of red, and her throat closed.
Around them, the sounds of the fight were dying. Only a few isolated clashes still echoed in the near-empty chamber. The number of soldiers and castle guards far exceeded the number of attacking goblins. Many of the goblins had died, very few had retreated. But the damage was done. Dead goblins lay scattered across the floor next to the bodies of many soldiers and young nobles of Karasnia.
Jacob caught her gaze. He strode to her and, with his free hand, pulled her to her feet. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, her throat too dry to speak.
“Good.”
His sword clattered to the floor as he circled his arms around her, pulling her into a hard kiss. His heart beat rapidly against the palm of her hand.
“Thank you,” he whispered against her mouth then kissed her again.
“You’re welcome,” she muttered when she could speak again. Behind her, the last sounds of battle had dimmed to a quiet murmur of groans, shifting steel, and troubled whispers. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
His cheeks lifted in the barest of smiles before the serious line returned. He looked past her toward the main hall, brow creased. “Come on.” He retrieved his sword, then took her hand and led her to a small cluster of people.
Vic exhaled slowly, relieved to see both the king and queen uninjured. They stood with Garath, General Thack, and Lord and Lady Fordin over the bodies of a dead soldier and a dead goblin. The soldier was an obscene shade of purple, his skin bloated to the point of bursting, his face an unrecognizable mask of agony. Vic clenched her teeth against the bile in her throat and looked away.
“I don’t believe it.” Thack ran a blood-splattered hand over his red beard.
“That’s the only explanation for the fangs,” Tiya said, nodding to the dead goblin, “and this reaction.” She pointed to the soldier. “GeMorin clan.”
“I thought the GeMorin were a legend,” Kevin said, his handsome face set in grim lines.
“No,” King John said, just above a whisper, “they’re real.” He never took his gaze from the dead soldier.
“Who are the GeMorin?” Vic asked Jacob, keeping her voice low.
Tiya answered. “They’re a warrior clan of goblins. The only goblins of notable intelligence. They’re cunning, strong, brutal warriors. Their most distinctive feature, though, is the fangs. They’re venomous. No other goblin race has fangs like this.”
“The GeMorin clan hasn’t moved past the upper Georna border in centuries, since before the goblin war,” Queen Sara continued the story, gently taking her husband’s hand. “There are occasional skirmishes between the GeMorin and the Geornans of the border lands, but, for the most part, the fights remain small. They aren’t often spoken of, which is why most Karasnians think the GeMorin a legend from another time.”
“But they still exist,” Tiya finished. “And they’re more dangerous than any other race of goblins ever known.”
“Why?” King John demanded, still staring at the fallen soldier. “Why?”
No one had an answer.
Vic looked around at the solemn faces of their small group and noticed an absence. “General Thack, where is Mrs. Von Thack?”
“She’s gone to check the baby.”
His response snapped Tiya’s head up. She looked at Kevin, closed her eyes, and gasped, the color draining from her face. “Arlana!” Before anyone could react, she was running for the door, Kevin close behind.
“General Thack, organize this mess,” King John ordered. “Then check with the city guard and, if necessary, send more troops to chase these GeMorin from my city. Jacob, with me.”
Jacob followed close behind the king and queen as they hurried toward the guest quarters. Vic, her hand still engulfed in Jacob’s, had to jog to keep pace.
Outside the reception hall, beyond the view of the milling courtiers and busy soldiers, Queen Sara started to run. The king stayed with her while Jacob and Vic did their best to keep up. They were just entering the guest wing when the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.
Vic found herself abruptly seated on the floor as the castle walls shook and the ground rolled. Dust from the ceiling fell in a choking powder. A low rumbling echoed, mingling with the distant sounds of screams. Queen Sara, still on her feet, stumbled for the Fordin suite.
When the tumult stopped, Vic stared at Jacob, who’d gone to one knee and was covering most of her body with his own. “What in the name of the Goddess was that?” she breathed, blinking dust from her eyes.
“Earthquake?” Jacob looked at King John, who was braced against the corridor wall.
The king shook his head, frowning slightly, and hurried to the Fordin suite. After Jacob helped Vic to her feet, they followed.
They then trotted into a room dominated by the boiling rage of Kevin Fordin and the near-transformed features of Lady Tiya. Her face was set in stony, furious lines, her anger held in check by the soothing words of Queen Sara, who sat next to her on a window seat. Tiya’s eyes burned holes in the air.
“What happened?” the king demanded.
“She’s been kidnapped,” Kevin said through a clenched jaw. “Arlana’s been taken.”
“What?” King John and Jacob roared at the same time.
In a corner of the room, Vic caught sight of a young woman cowering against the wall, tears staining her cheeks, her eyes puffy and red. “I’m so sorry, my lady. I’m so sorry,” she mumbled, over and over again.
“Apparently,” the queen said in a very calm voice, “the nurse was knocked unconscious.” She nodded to the cowering woman. “She didn’t see anything. When she came to, the baby was gone.”
“Seal the castle,” King John ordered. “Have the city gates closed. I want…”
“She’s no longer in the city,” Tiya spoke quietly, her voice a hollow menace.
“Tiya, dear,” Queen Sara said, “how can you tell? I can’t feel Arlana anymore, which means she’s being shielded by a magician.”
Tiya looked the queen in the eyes. “They can’t shield my daughter from me. She’s no longer in the city.”
Queen Sara’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t argue with the young mother.
“How?” King John demanded. “How could they have been here only moments before and be out of the city now?”
“There’s no telling how long the nurse was unconscious,” Jacob provided.
“No,” the woman squeaked
from her corner, “I wasn’t out for long. I heard the battle echoing down the hall. I was going to the door to find out what was happening when I blacked out.”
“You mean this corresponded with the beginnings of the goblin raid?” King John’s anger tinged his carefully modulated tone of voice.
“Yes, Sire.” Kevin paced the length of the sitting room like a prowling tiger.
“How?” King John demanded again.
“They gated,” both Jacob and a new voice from the door said.
The group turned to see Garath entering the room. He handed Jacob a smooth cube, and Jacob cursed. “One of these was found on each of the dead goblins,” Garath said.
“Damn it to hell.” Jacob’s fist clenched tightly around the cube. “I knew I was missing something.” He turned to the king. “Majesty, this confirms that the goblins were working for the blood magicians.”
“You mean to say the reason they were in my city was to kidnap my granddaughter?”
“Ransom?” Kevin asked incredulously.
Jacob frowned. “I don’t think so. Not with Arlana’s power.”
Kevin’s suntanned skin paled and his eyes widened. “You don’t mean they intend to sacrifice my daughter!”
“No,” Jacob said, hand raised in an attempt to pacify. “At least, not yet. They went to far too much trouble for one sacrifice. They lost one of their fellow magicians in the process. No, I think they have more in mind than a simple sacrifice.”
The ground beneath Vic’s feet trembled again. Her gaze snapped to Lady Tiya. Rage glowed from her features like an exploding star. As the trembling increased, Vic heard Queen Sara’s calm voice, “Tiya. Tiya, stop. If you destroy the castle around us, we won’t be able to help Arlana.”
Visibly struggling to control her anger, Tiya closed her eyes for a long moment. The floor stopped its crazy rolling. The walls stilled. When she opened her eyes again, her fists were clenched, her jaw tight, but the castle no longer quaked.
“They move north,” she breathed.
“We’ll follow,” Kevin said, swinging toward the door.
“Wait.” King John stopped the young giant with a hand on his chest. “Jacob and the King’s Guard will go with you. But you’ll be facing the GeMorin, Kevin. You saw what those fangs do. You need to go to Georna first.”
“There’s no time—” Kevin started, but King John stopped him with a raised hand.
“There’s a smith along the northern Georna border. For generations, his family has produced special weapons from a metal found only in the Georna Reaches. It’s the only metal strong enough to break GeMorin fangs. Without protection from the venom, you won’t be able to rescue Arlana.”
Kevin turned away, his face set in stubborn lines. After a moment, though, he nodded his assent.
“Sara,” King John turned to his wife. “Baroness Georna’s magician, Dreem…is he still in contact with Master Caul through one of those emerald links?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Have Caul send a message to Baroness Georna requesting the presence of the smith, Brandon, at Castle Georna. Tell her that a group approaches quickly to purchase some of Brandon’s special merchandise.”
“Of course.”
“What about my daughter?” Tiya asked quietly.
“You can still feel her?” Queen Sara turned back to the young mother.
“Yes.”
“Then you can follow her.”
“Maybe Tracker would know where they’re headed.” Vic suggested hesitantly. Every eye in the room turned. She sucked in her bottom lip and shrugged.
“He’s still in custody?” the king asked Jacob.
“Yes, Majesty.”
“All right. Jacob, arrange for the guard that’ll travel with you and begin preparations for the journey. Kevin, come with me. We’ll have a talk with the smuggler.”
“Sire,” Garath spoke before King John could leave the room. “May I be given permission to accompany the party?”
King John paused for a moment, then nodded. He left without further comment, Kevin close at his elbow.
“Garath,” Jacob turned to his lieutenant, “stay here with Lady Tiya and Queen Sara until a fresh guard is sent up. If she isn’t too frightened, try to get as much information as you can from the nurse. But be gentle.” Jacob took Vic’s hand and started for the door. He stopped just before leaving the room. “And Garath, glad to have you with us.”
Garath nodded, the slightest of smiles touching his mouth.
Vic and Jacob walked back to his chambers in silence. At the door, he turned to face her. “I’ll be busy for most of the night now. You should try to sleep.”
“When will you leave?”
“Midmorning at the latest. I’ll come back before we leave…to say goodbye.” He kissed her, quick and hard, before walking away.
“‘Say goodbye’?” Vic said to the air. “Like hell you will, Jacob Marin.” She hurried back to the Fordin’s suite. Garath was just leaving when she approached.
“Victoria?”
“Garath, I need a favor. I need you to have a horse and supplies readied for me. I’ll be going with you on this little adventure.”
His blue eyes narrowed. “Jacob has agreed to let you go?”
“Jacob doesn’t know yet.”
“Victoria, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I don’t think Jacob—”
“Will you help me or do I have to buy a mount and supplies on my own? I’m going. One way or the other.”
He let out a long breath. “Okay. I’ll have a horse readied. But what should I tell the general when he invariably asks about the extra horse?”
“Tell him it’s for me.”
***
Vic slipped into the dimly lit office and shut the door.
Deraun’s head snapped up at the intrusion. “What the hell are you doing here, Flash? I thought I told you to—”
She held up a hand to silence him. “You hear about the attack on the castle tonight?” She kept her tone perfectly even, but low-pitched so no one passing Gip’s office would be able to recognize her voice. She’d snuck into the Hole’s headquarters in the confusion that blanketed the city, managing to avoid the other Hole members on her way to Gip’s office.
“Of course,” his voice dropped to match hers. “Goblins made a mess in the streets, too.” Deraun rose and stepped around his desk to face Vic. “You were in the castle?”
“Um hmm. It’s a long story, but I’ll be leaving town now. For a couple of months.”
His eyes narrowed. He looked over her black attire and the bundle slung over her shoulder. “This have to do with the blood magicians? We heard about the raid and the two that escaped.”
“Yeah. The magicians and the goblins. Seems they’ve taken something that didn’t belong to them. We’re going to get it back.”
“We?”
“King’s Guard.”
“Marin, too?”
“Yeah.”
He nodded. His mouth stretched to a taut line. After a silent moment, he said, “This mean the trouble’s moving away from the city?”
“Looks that way.”
“Well, since I’ve got enough on my hands with Charlie and now the aftermath of tonight’s mess…guess I’ll leave the goblins and magicians to people who know what they’re doing.”
Her mouth tilted up in the barest of smiles. “See ya when I get back, Gip.”
She cracked open the door and checked to make sure the hall was empty. As she slipped out into the corridor, she heard him whisper, “Stay standing, Vic Flash.”
***
When Jacob stormed into his room shortly before dawn, Vic was sitting at his desk, feet propped up, dressed in her blacks, her small satchel resting next to the chair leg.
“What do you think you’re doing, Victoria?”
The effort to keep his voice calm showed in the flexing of his jaw muscles. “I thought I was sitting,” she said.
“You know what I mean. Why did yo
u tell Garath to have a horse readied?” He stepped closer.
“Because I’m going with you.” She stood slowly, balancing on her toes, ready for a fight.
“No, Victoria. You’re not going with us. It’s too dangerous.”
“Ha! And being here isn’t dangerous for me. I’ve got nothing better to do and nowhere better to go. I’m going with you.”
“I won’t allow it. You’ll stay here. Safe.”
“Here where, General? I can’t live in the castle. I’ll go back to the streets and, sooner or later, Charlie’s thugs will find me. I’m going with you.” She stood straight, her hands casually at her sides. Though they were skillfully concealed, she wore all seven daggers.
Jacob let out an exasperated breath and moved to stand mere inches from her. “Why, Victoria? Why do you have to go?”
She tried to hold his gaze and failed. She glanced around the room, looking for an excuse. Finally, she looked back into his face, focusing on his mouth when she couldn’t meet his gaze. “Because, damn it, I care for you, Jacob Marin, and I won’t have you disappear.” Her hard attitude dissolved. She closed the space between them and clung, burying her face against his chest. The smell of his leather vest mingled with the faint metallic stench of blood in her nostrils. “Too many people in my life have disappeared. If something happens to you, I want to be there. I want to know.” She felt his body relax as his arms circled her.
“Victoria, I won’t disappear on you.” He patted her hair and kissed the top of her head. “I don’t want you in such a dangerous situation.”
“I can take care of myself, Jacob.” Her voice turned desperate, pleading. “You won’t have to worry about me.”
“But I do.”
“I can watch your back. We make a good team…last night with the goblins…we work well together.”
His arms tightened. She felt the ruffle of his breath against her hair.
“What am I going to do with you, little thief?”